Cover of CROSSWORD
courtesy of Harbor House
CROSSWORD by William Rawlings

Some novels attract you with their brilliant plots and convoluted characters; others draw you in by playing on your emotions. And some are just plain fun to read. CROSSWORD by William Rawlings falls into this latter category. That isn't to say that his plot isn't intriguing, and his characters aren't finely drawn. It just means that the overall effect of the book is to make you have a great time reading it.

The main character in the story is Matt Rutherford. He is an independently wealthy man who lives in Walkerville, Georgia. He is in his late twenties and is missing the love of his life Lisa Ling. She has gone out of his life and hasn't communicated him with him in months. He is steadily going through the process of his life while he waits for her to return.

He gets to casually know an attorney named Stewart Jarrard, who has moved to Walkerville form Atlanta. Stewart seems to think they are better friends than Matt does. He even asks to move in to Matt's guestroom when his home is burglarized. Being an accommodating fellow, Matt agrees - against his better judgment. 

Being this accommodating leads to Matt getting involved in a murder case and some other dangerous circumstances. But at least Lisa does come back into Matt's life and they face the dangerous situations together. It is a good thing she is there because Matt is not as clever as she in avoiding danger and figuring out mysteries.

Rawlings writes as though he was having a ball as he carried his two main characters from one dire situation to the next. They travel from Walkerville to Highlands, North Carolina and back, and later head down to St Simon's on the coast of Georgia. They always have plenty of money for their projects and lead the good life in most ways.

The mystery of CROSSWORD is complex but Matt and Lisa are inventive minds so their ability to solve the conundrum is believable. You might not be able to understand it all but you are convinced Matt and Lisa know of what they speak.

Rawlings is the author of three other books and has settled comfortably into the mystery genre. His ease at writing readable books seems to be improving with each story he creates, and CROSSWORD is his best yet. The prognosis is good for this doctor turned author to write even better books in the future.

CROSSWORD is published by Harbor House. It contains 288 pages and sells for $24.95.

 

 

 

 

 

©2006 Jackie K. Cooper

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